Sarah Palin wants airline to keep 'all-American' prayer cards

The former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, has spoken out against Alaska Airlines for their intended removal of prayer cards which have long been part of their service. The cards are given to passengers with in-flight meals.

But the airline says there have been complaints about the cards, especially more recently, and have decided they are no longer appropriate. They will stop giving them out, they said, to respect all their customers.

“This difficult decision was not made lightly,” a statement from Alaska Airlines said. “We believe it’s the right thing to do in order to respect the diverse religious beliefs and cultural attitudes of all our customers and employees. Religious beliefs are deeply personal and sharing them with others is an individual choice.”

Palin: Letter asks for return of prayer cards

The company went on to say that there were passengers who liked the cards but "many others felt religion was not appropriate on an airplane and preferred not to receive one." Palin called the cards "all-American" and in a letter asked the airline to reverse their decision.

The prayer cards seemed geared more toward those of the Christian faith, given that they had phrases from the Book of Psalms. The company said they have been a part of their service since "the 1970's" and were given to passengers as a method of providing comfort.

On her Facebook page, Palin noted that for her “...it seems astonishing that someone would be offended by a simple prayer card placed on an airline’s meal tray, but I guess that’s the politically correct world we live in now." She also seemed to say she considered their removal a form of censorship, though her meaning was unclear. “We don’t call for censorship, at least I don’t. So, why in this day and age must every reference to faith in God be censored from the public square?”

Alaska Airlines said they will stop distributing the cards next month.